Pop Dream #5: Blissa, Taffy & Tawny

We’re coming down to the end, folks. Here’s the final Barbie Dream House Pop Dream.

Yes, this is the final installment of this Pop Dream series, but no, this is not the end of the segment. Pop Dream will go on, but the next installment will focus on a completely different set of characters from an altogether different show or franchise. Who will be the subjects of the next Pop Dream? Even we don’t know yet, though we have some potential candidates; also, the next installment of Pop Dreams will either be done by myself, or by Jason, or possibly by both of us depending on the show and who writes up the actual entries. Until then, let’s wrap up our look at Dream House residents.

But what’s that, you ask? We’ve already covered Barbie herself…

“Sparkle, sparkle!”

…And each of her Fab Sisters…

“Groovin’…on a Sunday afternoon…”

…So who’s left?

Barbie’s pets, obviously!

Today’s Pop Dream is all about the most privileged pets on Earth, Blissa the cat, Taffy the dog and Tawny the horse.

OVERVIEW

The Dream House pets live a life unparalleled by any other small mammal. As Barbie’s pets, they dine on the most exquisite kibbles and oats, sleep and lounge on imported designer pillows, play with the most expensive pet toys and are groomed by the finest groomers in the land.

“Ah’m guessin’ those pets even get PET-icures!”

“Ah’ll, uh, show muhself out.”

This has made these 3 a tad soft, temperamental and spoiled, to put it mildly, but they still find room in their day for shenanigans.

“Hey listen, if somebody calls mentioning something about their sparrows getting devoured, it wasn’t us! We’ll be on your bed. No calls.”

APPEARANCES

There’s not much to cover with these characters in terms of appearance, since we’re talking about naked animals; basically, Taffy is a yellow Labrador Retriever…

“Doubt it? Well get her a Labrador, an’ she’ll retrieve it for ya!”

…Blissa is a pure white purebred, and Tawny is a blue-eyed Palomino.

My Not-So Little Pony

One fashion statement they all share is that they each bear their mistress’ symbol somewhere on their accoutrements.

“That’s the brand!”

PERSONALITIES

While all 3 of the pets are equally sheltered, they each possess their own unique traits:

Tawny is by her mistress’s side with just a whistle. Living the fab life with Barbie has certainly gone to her head. She is lovably neurotic about her looks — from her immaculate mane to her designer horseshoes.

“Hey, she made sure I got satellite TV and air conditioning in the stable. Mama knows where her bread is buttered!”

Her likes include long gallops on the beach, being brushed and groomed, carrots with sugar, apples with sugar, sugar with sugar. Her dislikes include Flies, mosquitoes, empty food troughs, muddy boots, chilly stables—brrrr! Tawny’s stats include 20 carrot (with sugar) cravings a day, 6 warm blankets owned, 214 beach runs with Barbie and 10 piano concerts given (no small feat considering she has no fingers).

Blissa, the fickle feline, always purrs for Barbie, but everyone else has to be on alert. She’ll either snuggle up with Dreamhouse guests or turn their pant legs into scratching posts. This is because…

Taffy isn’t just fond of the finer things like filet mignon and doggy spas, but also has a sophisticated taste for art and literature. She loves nothing more than a good chew toy, classical music and a nice long belly rub. She likes Playing fetch, being petted, naps, barking at the mailman, fire hydrants, doggie treats, dinnertime. She dislikes being bored, a short leash, loud vacuums, thunderstorms and an empty food dish. Her stats include 10 flying discs, 1 fab doggie bed, 5,823 balls chased and 1,384 buried bones.

-She also has a love interest in the form of Ken’s dog Hudson, echoing Barbie and Ken’s relationship, but we’re not going to show you that because this is a family blog, so we won’t taint things with images of dog-on-dog action.

I didn’t mean to dog you out!

FUNNIER MOMENTS

“When the Cat’s Away”: Blissa is doing her best to ditch Chelsea, who’s eager to play dress-up with her. She ducks into Barbie’s Labyrinthian closest, leading to an all-out manhunt, or rather, cat-hunt, as Barbie, Ken and Tawny hunt for Chelsea while Chelsea hunts for Blissa. Highlights include Tawny smashing through the wall when Barbie whistles for her and the discovery that Barbie’s closet has its’ own beach area. Barbie eventually finds Chelsea and Chelsea finds Blissa, still with dress-up on her mind, so it ends happily…for the most part.

“Persistent, aren’t we??”

“Mission Impawsible”: the pets sneak out for a day on the town while Barbie and Ken are on a date. They nearly get spotted on a few occasions, once at the movie theater having just seen the horror-thriller Paws, which leaves Taffy and Tawny shaking, but not Blissa…

“I’ve seen worse. I’ve done worse!”

…And again while driving (!) to beat Barbie and Ken home.

You can tell Taffy’s panicking; normally she wouldn’t be riding in a car at top speed without letting her tongue flap in the breeze.

They also nearly get spotted at the lemonade shop. (Watch the short for a brief glimpse of a frustrated Raquelle working there!)

“Happy Bathday to You”: It’s Bath Day and the pets do everything in their power to avoid the scrubbing brush, including eating and shredding Barbie’s calendars and day planners, hiding in plain sight…

HE-MAN CAMEO!

…To making a hasty getaway in a golf cart, which Tawny at the wheel. The drive away from the sisters…only to plunge straight into a tub that Barbie’s placed in the hall. No one ever said Tawny could drive well.

CONCLUSION

Wacky cut-up pets are often the icing on the cake in domestic comedies, and part of me really digs that Barbie has her own cabal of pets. It’s also cool that Blissa, Taffy and Tawny are all female; it’s a nice change of pace to see female comic-relief animals, since usually animal toon stars are almost always male.

Well that concludes our Pop Dream all about the Roberts Sisters. Next time…